June
Journal Entries
JUNE 30th, 2000
JUNE 27th, 2000
JUNE 20th, 2000
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MARCH ENTRIES
FEBRUARY ENTRIES
JUNE 20th, 2000
Well, It's been a while, but I'm back in the somewhat civilized
Harare. (I say that because elections are this coming weekend - keep an eye on
the news.)
I have been at Karanda Mission Hospital having a very unique experience. My time
there is spent going to visit clients with the Home Based Care Team. Most of the
clients are orphans or suffering from AIDS. I wish I could talk about all that
I've seen and the people I've met, but it would be too difficult to try and
describe it though email.
I've had the chance to speak at a number of schools in the rural area around
Karanda. For the most part, I've met with the AIDS club that the Karanda
Chaplains launched sometime last year. It's really neat to see the differences
between Canadian schools and schools of rural Zimbabwe! When we bring a video
(with a generator), it is the event of the month at the school! Yesterday they
crammed over 400 kids in one classroom to watch a video - everyone was very
exited!
The scenery and the people in that part of Zimbabwe are amazing! I can't wait to
show everyone at home my pictures!
I'll be going back up to Karanda on Sunday, after a meeting with TEAM, and
spending the next 10 days or so at the hospital. It is probably safer to be up
there, as opposed to being in the city over elections. It means that you'll all
hear the results before me, though! Life at Karanda is wonderful, but quite
isolated from the rest of the world! (even Zim.)
I am a little unsure about my travel plans for July, so I would appreciate it if
any prayers could be directed upwards, on my behalf. I am in need of a little
direction, and general clarity about what I should be doing. Plans are hard to
make in Africa.
I hope everyone is well at home - I miss you all and look forward to being home
soon!!
Love Lianne
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JUNE 27th, 2000
I am home safe in Harare. My time at Karanda was amazing, so
it's a little overwhelming to be back in the city, and with all these plans to
travel coming up so soon... I didn't really like to leave what I was doing at
Karanda. I spoke at 7 schools, which was fantastic. I really gained momentum
with each school I spoke at. I had kids' attention for an hour at a time at a
couple schools. Not just a small group either: The usual school size was between
350-450 students! We brought a generator with us and showed a video to them,
too. Overall, very good experience. I can't say
that I really left an imprint on the area, which would be nice, but I do feel
like I learned a lot from the whole thing, so it was worth it. I also know that
I'd like to go back there some day. It's incredible that only two doctors, and
way too few nurses run that hospital. They are desperate for some long term
help. I'll aspire to return as a med-student, for starters. (I think Canada will
always be my home.)
Travel was fine today - the whole election process was relatively peaceful. Most
of the damage was done in the past few months. Free and fair? Anyway, results
are at least showing that there will be a stronger opposition, meaning that the
ruling party will have to face up to some of their blunders, and eat some words,
too. (Some radio stations are playing really funny quotes that Mu**be said about
how MDC wasn't good enough to win any seats, or call themselves an opposition,
meanwhile they have won about 1/3 so far... we're still waiting on final
numbers.) Doesn't really matter who wins, Zimbabwe is sure to have a very
depressing few years. The economy has come so far in the past 10 years, but it
is rapidly shrinking back to it's
former pathetic state. Apparently in '91 you had to go to South Africa to find margarine
and cooking oil. The shops were all empty... people are not looking forward to
that again.
Well, I'm finishing up life in Harare this week.... going to my last Bible
studies, buying a few souvenirs and prezzies. I have a few more things to
do for youth for Christ, and I'll go back to school to say goodbye to the kids
again.
It was so good to come home to Jan, and to all my emails!! I cried more than
once today. I miss home so much - I hadn't thought about it much at Karanda, as
I was in a different world. I'm on such an emotional roller coaster.
Saying hello to new people, and goodbye to new friends all the time. I'm kind of
tired of it. Leaving Harare, Leaving Karanda, Leaving TEAM, going, going, going,
leaving, leaving, leaving. I hadn't been looking forward to traveling because I
was so unsure about things, and I kind of feel like I should stay working - but
then part of me feels like this is a chance of a lifetime (which it is), and
lots of me feels like I don't deserve a 5week expensive vacation... other
missionary-types certainly don't splurge like this. Anyway, I still don't know
what to think, but I'm off anyway! God will put some people and plans in my
path.
Hopefully Meeting up with Inge will work. I haven't heard back from Graham with
friends in Cape, Mum, but I'll email again. I'm just working out my ride to
south Africa. Looks like I'll either take a night bus to Jo-burg (arriving in
the day) on Friday, and the "Baz Bus" to the Drakkensburgs from there,
OR I'll catch a cheap ride with a couple who is going to Durban on
Monday.
I hope that all is well at home - it was good to get all the emails from my
loved ones, when I got home to Harare!! I love you and miss you all terribly!
Love, Lianne
JUNE 30th, 2000
Well, my plans were to write a nice long journal entailing my
latest adventures at Karanda Hospital. I have gotten to know some incredible
families, learned about life in rural Africa, seen what a mission hospital
really is about, and spoken like I've never spoken before (I mean that I've
really impressed myself - It took some practice, but I'm getting into it now.
Just in time for me to be finished...grrr.). Anyway, there's been so much I've
experienced and learned over the past month, I could fill a book!
But, as we all know, things in Africa don't turn out like you expect them to and
I won't be able to write that long journal entry. (For those of you just reading
these because I made you promise to, this may be a little bit of a relief.) You
see, this week has shrunk immensely! I don't know how it happened, but it did.
My plans were to go to South Africa tomorrow night on a bus, but then this man
that is staying with us just came home this evening with the news that he had to
go to South Africa tonight - so we're leaving at 1:00am. This leaves me 1:37min,
26sec, 25sec, 24sec to pack my life for the next 5 weeks into a little backpack
and get into the truck. It's an eleven hour drive to Jo'burg so I'll sleep on
the way.
My plans for the next 5 weeks have literally gone from "I haven't got a
clue" to: Meeting Ingeborg in some small town called Harrismith on Sunday
or Monday - hiking with her and her sister in the Drakensburg mountains, and
perhaps going pony-trekking in Lesotho until the 10th - hanging out on the
beaches of Durban until the 12th when they fly home. Then I'll take 3 or 4 days
to do the famous "Garden Route" along the coast to Cape Town - spend 2
days exploring the Cape (Robben Island and Table Mountain - and hopefully
Stellenbosch - being priorities) - Then I start a camping tour I've signed up
for! It goes from Cape Town through the Deserts and Coast of Namibia to the
Okavenga (I know I spelled it wrong) Delta in Botswana and finishes in Vic Falls
on the 6th of August. I'm really exited about it, so
I hope all goes as planned! (But as I mentioned earlier this is Africa.)
I was in the middle of doing a round of long-intended postcards
when I realized I had so little time to get going - so I must apologize to all
my friends for not being a better letter writer. I also hoped to do some email
writing tonight. I miss you all and can't wait to see you again! I think of this
adventure as the beginning of my trip home.
Please keep praying for me, although I have officially finished my
"work" here. I think only the grace of God will preserve me through 5
weeks of traveling. Then again, it's only the grace of God that gets someone
like me home on the bus safely, so this is nothing new! Seriously, I will be
very careful, and have just listened to over an hour of advice from my Mum, so I
am sure to be safe and secure on this journey. I'll email when I can!
Love Lianne
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